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Oct 13, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Stanley Johnson, Small Forward for the Detroit Pistons
Stanley Johnson plays small forward for the Detroit Pistons. Johnson ranks in the top 10-15 rookies in almost every category out of 53 total rookies in the league. Stanley seems to have taken well to the transition to the NBA, and he comes back regularly to the U of A to support coach Miller in recruiting and the team in general. And he’s going to do great at commercials, you can see advertising deals in his future.
"#DetroitHeart. Hustling until the final horn" - @iamSJ#DetroitBasketballhttps://t.co/VNERoeQYLr
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 4, 2015
Stanley’s stats are impressive for an NBA Player, let alone a rookie, but he still hasn’t broken into the Piston’s starting line up as Rondae and T.J. have. That’s because he has been battling over the starting small forward position with Marcus Morris. Instead, he is playing shooting guard. Why is he playing shooting guard? Because the Pistons lost Jodie Meeks to a toe fracture and Brandon Jennings to an Achilles injury.
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Head coach Stan Van Gundy hasn’t tried Johnson out as a starter at small forward even though Morris seems worn out. Morris has averaged 13.8 points, six rebounds, and two assists through the first eighteen games of the season. His average points have dropped from 15.4 points nine games into the season.
Van Gundy doesn’t believe Johnson is ready for more minutes according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News.
In the 20 minutes (average) Johnson plays, he still averages eight points and almost four rebounds and one assist. Maybe his stats would be better if he played the position he has the most experience in? After nine games, he was shooting 37 percent from the field and 20 percent from three point land, after 17 games, things have gotten a little better. Better is good.
| Season | G | GS | MP | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | 2P | 2P% | FT | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 17 | 0 | 353 | 54 | .375 | 11 | .250 | 43 | .430 | 16 | .696 | 62 | 20 | 12 | 1 |
| Career | 17 | 0 | 353 | 54 | .375 | 11 | .250 | 43 | .430 | 16 | .696 | 62 | 20 | 12 | 1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/30/2015.
Starting positions are usually given to more seasoned veterans, and it also depends on the team. Teams like the Sixers are struggling and have the worst record in the league at 0-18. Thus on the Sixers, the starting job for every position is a competition.
If Van Gundy finds a way to get the Stanimal back to his small forward position, maybe he can make more of a difference. Until then the fans love him, and he seems to be one of the faces of the Pistons organization.
Nonetheless, we all tune in when the Pistons are playing to watch Stanley work his domination and magic. Like on Monday, when Johnson took on Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets and had the game of his career so far scoring a double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds).
Next: T.J. McConnell - Philadephia 76ers